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A review by booksafety
Enemy of My Enemy by Tal Bauer
5.0
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
“I love you so fucking much. It gets hard to breathe sometimes when I think about you.”
Aight, I gave book 1 a ‘tissue warning’ because I cried quite a bit while reading it, so now I’m left wondering what the *hell* I’m supposed to say about this one. I cried my damn eyes out, lol.
I feel like every Tal Bauer review I write is about the same. Writes like no one else… a crazy amount of emotions… nail-biting suspense… my favorite author, etc., and it’s all still true. This book was a ride and a half, let me tell you. It contains one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve read, actually, and I still loved it to bits. Perfect if you like romantic suspense or political aspects, but amazing no matter what. There’s a also a beautiful romance in the middle of everything going on.
Actually, there’s nearly three love stories in this series, with amazing side characters that feature more and more (see the quote at the bottom of this review for a glimpse of my favorite pair or side characters). I love the ‘multiple POV’ aspect so much, and it really is needed with a massive plot like this with a giant cast of characters.
Where do you go from here, Ethan? Where do you go when your life shatters and everything you planned for evaporates? […] What’s left for you now?
But yeah, utter heartbreak aside and nearly every character being near death at one point or another, it’s a fantastic book. Tal Bauer can do no wrong.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
POTUS
First gentleman
Political thriller
Romantic suspense
Size difference
Established couple
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Explicit sexual content
Homophobia
PTSD
Flashbacks
Hate crime (physical attack, side character)
Internalized homophobia (side character)
Severely injured side character
Gun violence
Execution video
Suicide bombing
On-page killing
Death of side characters
Suicide (antagonist)
Brief mentions of sexual situations with dubious consent (antagonist and side character)
Injured MCs
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Yes, but neither MC look elsewhere.
Breakup: Yes
POV: 3rd person, multiple POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
MCs age: 41 and 46
Pages: 477
And this was what he loved about Jack. Strength wrapped in an effusive optimism, a soul that promised the world would be a better place if you only just held on and never let go. A solid core of unflappability, the center of him rooted in gentle happiness. Jack radiated joy to Ethan’s soul, and he basked in Jack’s grins, his playful personality, like a tree turning its leaves to the sun.
“Loving you will never be a mistake to me,” Faisal finally said. “If you believe our love is a mistake, then that is your burden to bear.” His voice, as always, was soft and gently accented thanks to his private English tutors in Riyadh and his Oxford education. It tore at Adam’s heart, always. The tenderness containing a core of ferocity, a hidden fire that rivaled the sun.
“I love you so fucking much. It gets hard to breathe sometimes when I think about you.”
Aight, I gave book 1 a ‘tissue warning’ because I cried quite a bit while reading it, so now I’m left wondering what the *hell* I’m supposed to say about this one. I cried my damn eyes out, lol.
I feel like every Tal Bauer review I write is about the same. Writes like no one else… a crazy amount of emotions… nail-biting suspense… my favorite author, etc., and it’s all still true. This book was a ride and a half, let me tell you. It contains one of the most heartbreaking moments I’ve read, actually, and I still loved it to bits. Perfect if you like romantic suspense or political aspects, but amazing no matter what. There’s a also a beautiful romance in the middle of everything going on.
Actually, there’s nearly three love stories in this series, with amazing side characters that feature more and more (see the quote at the bottom of this review for a glimpse of my favorite pair or side characters). I love the ‘multiple POV’ aspect so much, and it really is needed with a massive plot like this with a giant cast of characters.
Where do you go from here, Ethan? Where do you go when your life shatters and everything you planned for evaporates? […] What’s left for you now?
But yeah, utter heartbreak aside and nearly every character being near death at one point or another, it’s a fantastic book. Tal Bauer can do no wrong.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
POTUS
First gentleman
Political thriller
Romantic suspense
Size difference
Established couple
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Graphic violence
Explicit sexual content
Homophobia
PTSD
Flashbacks
Hate crime (physical attack, side character)
Internalized homophobia (side character)
Severely injured side character
Gun violence
Execution video
Suicide bombing
On-page killing
Death of side characters
Suicide (antagonist)
Brief mentions of sexual situations with dubious consent (antagonist and side character)
Injured MCs
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Yes, but neither MC look elsewhere.
Breakup: Yes
POV: 3rd person, multiple POV
Genre: Romantic suspense, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
MCs age: 41 and 46
Pages: 477
And this was what he loved about Jack. Strength wrapped in an effusive optimism, a soul that promised the world would be a better place if you only just held on and never let go. A solid core of unflappability, the center of him rooted in gentle happiness. Jack radiated joy to Ethan’s soul, and he basked in Jack’s grins, his playful personality, like a tree turning its leaves to the sun.
“Loving you will never be a mistake to me,” Faisal finally said. “If you believe our love is a mistake, then that is your burden to bear.” His voice, as always, was soft and gently accented thanks to his private English tutors in Riyadh and his Oxford education. It tore at Adam’s heart, always. The tenderness containing a core of ferocity, a hidden fire that rivaled the sun.